Go in the Strength You Have.

Life is a lot sometimes. And it just seems to throw at us more than we can take. Sometimes the things that come are consequences of our own sin. Sometimes they are consequences of the sins of others. And sometimes, they're consequences of the sinful world we live in. And they're all hard.

It's easy to do what I deem sitting in a puddle and crying. Life is overwhelming and we just want to quit. But that's not necessarily a godly or beneficial response. The best thing to do is to put one foot in front of the other and do the best we can.

Sometimes the best you can looks like getting out of bed in the morning. Sometimes it looks like taking a shower, getting dress, eating. Sometimes it looks like confessing sin to others, to apologizing to those you've hurt, to making amends. Often, it looks like doing things other people don't understand and having to be okay with it.

Life is a journey and sometimes timing doesn't make sense. But as Dr. Colleen Reichmann says, "Just because you're taking longer than others doesn't mean that you've failed." Healing is hard. Healing takes time. Recovery requires effort, and sometimes all we have to give is all we have to give. We just have to do the next right thing.

As God said to Gideon, sometimes we have to "go in the strength [we] have" (Judges 6:14) and trust that it is enough. Not enough for yesterday. Not enough for tomorrow. Enough for today. Enough for right now.

Go in the strength you have. It's what you've got. It opens us up to what God's got. And it's easier for God to move an object in motion than it is to move one stuck in a mud puddle.

You Can't Keep a Good Man Down.

"You can close your eyes.

You can say it's a lie.

You can stick your head in the sand.

You can turn away, even try to explain

He was just another man.

When they nailed Him to the cross by His hands and feet

and they put Him in the ground

three days later everybody found out that you can't

no you can't keep a good man down, no

no you can't keep a good man down."

I heard these NewSong lyrics last weekend as we passed Good Friday and approached Easter Sunday. As I listened, I couldn't help but sing along. Life's been hard lately, but "you can't keep a good man down." I persevere because of Jesus. I live because He lives. For those who believe in Jesus, the end is not the end, but rather a new beginning.

Romans 8:11 says, "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you." Do all men live because of Jesus? No. Some choose not to accept The Good Man. And certainly all die on this earth. But because of Jesus, those who do accept his atonement for their sins have hope in life eternal.

Because of Jesus, I also have hope of victory for the good inside of men on this earth. I have hope for victory over struggle, sin, addiction, and disease. Does that always happen? No. Those who choose not to accept The Good Man lack access to His power. And some overcome by leaving this earth and going to be with the resurrected Jesus. But good on earth is possible because of The Good Man.

You can't keep a good man down. If God can raise Jesus from the dead, He can do anything.